David Filner assumed the administrative leadership of the San Antonio Symphony in November, 2012. Led by Music Director Sebastian Lang-Lessing, the San Antonio Symphony is celebrating its 73rd year this season.

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Camerata finale Sunday

It is easy to forget that for most of music history audiences only listened to one style– the style of their time. It is only with the modern era of recordings did we get used to hearing contrasting styles in one concert. The final Camerata San Antonio program of the season took special care to select music with contrasting styles to very fine effect. (The program is repeated for the third and final time on Sunday at 3 p.m. at Christ Episcopal Church at 510 Belknap.)

A Boccherini quintet (1732-1805) opened the program, and it began a very unusual effect. The first violin played one note repeatedly to imitate a bugle call. It sounded very strange to me, but once the famous melody began the style became familiar and comfortable. The second piece was by John Mackey (born 1973) and it featured blusey fiddle music with lots of sliding effects in the left hands of the string trio. I haven’t seen this much sliding since Rickey Henderson overtook the Major League Baseball stolen base record from Lou Brock! But, the fiddling style was familiar enough to cause everyone in the audience to smile and enjoy the humor and virtuosity of the work. The Boccherini and the Mackey had one thing in common — very simple harmonies. That set up the second half perfectly.

When the Tchaikovsky Souvenir de Florence began, the thick harmonies and textures were almost shocking. After the contrasting first half, this rich sextet almost sounded like it was being played by 60 musicians, not six. Who would have thought our old friend Tchaikovsky could have packed such a surprise? But, it was only partially the programming that made Tchaikovksy sound so fresh. The playing also contributed, as the performers all played with commitment and a rich sound with an intense vibrato. Violinists Ertan Torgul and Matthew Zerweck; violists Marisa Bushman and Emily Freudigman and cellists Ken Freudigman and David Mollenauer all luxuriated in the vibrant acoustics of the First United Methodist Church in Boerne.

Tchaikovsky’s virtuoso ending of the first movement was especially effective. This is one of those pieces that the first movement ending is far more exciting than the ending of the last movement. In Tchaikovsky’s time, I’m sure the audience would have burst into applause at the end of the first movement. Modern conventions insist on silence to connect multi-movement works. I wish we had all gone against style in this case.

May 8 & 9: SOLI Chamber Ensemble. offers a concert called Freedom. The performance on the 8th is at Ruth Taylor Recital Hall and the 9th is at the McNay Museum’s Leeper Auditorium

May 9: The Symphony offers a free concert at 11 a.m. at the Rackspace Castle as part of Rackspace’s fourth Green Day celebration. No tickets are required.

May 15: FREE San Antonio Symphony concert at the Majestic Theatre. The concert is called BERLIOZ AND BARZUN and features the music of Berlioz in honor of Dr. Jacques Barzun. Although this is a free concert, tickets are required and are going fast. Call the Symphony Box Office at (210) 554-1010 for tickets and further information.

May 18 & 19: The Symphony POPS performs under the direction of guest conductor Michael Krajewski at Laurie Auditorium in Star Wars and other Space Odysseys.